


Perfect Days

by fiery_flamingo



Series: Dark Arts Drabbles- Round Three [6]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Community: darkarts_ldws, Drabble, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-04-18
Updated: 2012-04-18
Packaged: 2017-11-03 20:45:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/385759
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fiery_flamingo/pseuds/fiery_flamingo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In a life of tedium, Snape desires a challenge.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Perfect Days

There are few potions that truly challenge Severus Snape in their brewing. The most common, and practical, potions are straightforward. Simplistic. While he has refined many of them to be optimally effective, he knows from experience that any snivelling eleven-year old may toss sub-par ingredients into a pot and be rewarded with a not unusable headache potion.

These are the potions that make up the waxing and waning of his days, a half-dozen cauldrons simmering at once, all tweaked and twisted into the best versions of themselves as he can create. But even those small innovations become tedious and mundane with time. Boring.

So, he introduces a seventh cauldron. He chooses a potion that will challenge him, that will keep him from wandering the halls of the castle, snarling at ghosts that don’t shimmer but dance with red hair at the edges of his vision.

He chooses Felix Felicis because it seems the most complex and time-consuming, nothing more. But when Albus visits and sees the pale gold leaping at the rim, he gives Severus a look that could only be described as weary.

He simply says, “I suppose if anyone deserves a perfect day, Severus, it is you.”

Severus sneers, wanting to rub the inane details of his possible perfect day in the Headmaster’s face. He’s thought on it and finds it wanting. No teaching, unless it was the Defense of the Dark Arts position Or, Merlin bless, no students! And the apothecary shipment would come in a timely manner, for once. Maybe his favorite pudding would appear for dinner? And that roast he likes so well?

Even Albus would recognize that this is a good day, not a perfect one.

Perfect days are far behind him when the only bright green eyes to look at him stare out from the face of a boy he hates. Perfect days are impossible for Severus without Lily and not all the luck in the world could bring her back. Severus can only have good days.

Felix Felicis only works for people that have the possibility of happy endings in their future.

Eight months later, he throws the potion out, bottled but untouched, because even liquid luck goes bad.

Then, he gathers the ingredients and begins again.

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the seventh and final week of [darkarts_ldws](http://darkarts-ldws.livejournal.com)' Third Round of competition in 2011. Prompts were _Severus Snape_ and _Felix Felicis_. I won this particular week and Round Three. :)


End file.
